Jay-Z's Blue Magic is the lead single from the November 6 release American Gangster. The album is parallel but separate from the Russell Crowe, Denzel Washington biopic of the same name.
Jay’s last album was a glitzy, overproduced "look I'm back on top again" piece-o-crap. He knew it and his fans knew it. Thy Kingdom Come only sold 1.5million copies and Jay said, “it didn't live in Brooklyn.” In American Gangster, Jay abandons his well-worn territory for Frank Lucas’ story. It's strange, someone else's story sounds so much realer than his own.
Blue Magic is spare and old school, but with more substance than any of his recent work. The song is so good people are wondering if its really new or an unreleased track from his golden years. Owen and I were talking about the typical rap career trajectory. He had a good point, "at the end, these guys have so little to rap about that they have to retire and then come back to drum up subject material."
Jay did something different this time; how many rap concept albums are there? It is a little biography, a little history, all fire,” Blame Reagan for making me into a monster/Blame Oliver North and Iran-Contra/I ran contraband that they sponsored"
American Gangster is the story of Frank Lucas, a 70's heroin kingpin who supposedly made a million a day selling his own product on 116th Street. He was infamous for importing raw in the caskets with Viet Nam soldiers. Lucas also ratted out over 100 law enforcement officials and drug dealers leading to an early release. He was later reconvicted on another drug charge.
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